Bottle carrier



Deq. 30, 1941. G. F. FQRD EIAL I 2,268,209

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Aug. 25, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l V Iligl INVf/VTOE 650255 F r020 CECIL 2 .BflEBEE J P2570 H U/Pfj BY I THE/E ATTORNEY Dec. G FORD .ETAL

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Aug. 25, 1938 2 sheets-sheet 2 I17: 57.2 (Em l9 Zfi 22 Z35 24 i/vvfivrozs @5025: /-7 FORD CEC/L 2. 592856 THE/'2 ATTORNEY the weight of the bottles.

Patented Dec. 30, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE CARRIER George F. Ford and Cecil It. Barbee, Beverly Hills,

and Preston H. Squires, Lynwood, CaliL', assignors to Fibreboard Products Inc., San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application August 25, 1938, Serial No. 226,644

1 Claim. (Cl. 22952) Our invention relates to a package or carton for holding bottles and for providing means whereby a purchaser may conveniently carry the bottles. It is among the objects of our invention to provide a bottle carrier having a box-like body in which the lower portions of the bottles may seat to give them firm support and to protect the bottles against breakage.

Another object of the invention is to provide suspension means connected with the body of the carrier and terminating in a handle above the necks of the bottles.

A further object of our invention is to provide an improved handle structure.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of our invention. It is to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to this disclosure of species of our invention, as we may adopt variant embodiments thereof within the scope of the claim.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bottle car- :ier embodying the improvements of our invenion.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the blank from which the carrier is folded; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the filler.

In terms of broad inclusion, the bottle carrier of our invention comprises side walls, and a bottom wall connected to the side walls for carrying Suspension panels converging upwardly are connected to the side walls, and apertures are provided in these panels side and end walls along crease lines II and I2. These flaps are folded inwardly when the carrier is set up, and are secured together by any suitable -means, as by gluing.

End flaps 9 are preferably folded in first, and are preferably of sufficient width to abut along the center line of the carton. Side flaps 8 are preferably of the same width as the end flaps, and, since the side walls are longer than the end walls, these side flaps partially overlap each other, as shown in Figure 1. This provides a strong bottom structure for carrying the weight of the bottles; it being understood that in our ure 1.

improved carrier the entire weight of the bottles is supported by the bottom wall.

A pair of suspension panels I3 are foldably connected to upper edges of side wall 2 along crease lines It, and when the carton is set up these panels converge upwardly as shown in Fig- Suitable apertures l6 are provided in these suspension panels-through which the necks of the bottles may project; and the apertures are elongated to readily pass over the bottle necks when panels l3 are folded inwardly after the bottles are seated in the bottom portion of the carrier. The apertures are also preferably somewhat wider at the top tofurther facilitate passing freely over the bottle necks. It is understood of course that theseapertures do not grip the necks to support the weight of the bottles, but function largely as a spacing means to hold the bottles against shifting and rattling.

Flaps II are foldably connected to the upper' edges of panels I3 along crease lines l8, and

through which the necks of the bottles may project. Handle means are also provided at the converging ends of the suspension panels. End walls are connected to the side walls to provide a boxlike closure for the bottles and to provide spreader plates between the side walls to prevent the latter from drawing together when the load is supported from the handle. A filler i also preferably arranged in the carrier.

In greater detail, and referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the bottle carrier of our invention is folded from a blank of suitable material,such as fibreboard, divided into side walls 2 and end walls 3 by crease lines I. A tab 6 is connected along a crease line 1 to the free edge of side wall 2 for fastening, as by gluing or stapling, to the adjacent end wall when the carrier is set up. Bottom wall flaps 8 and 9 are when the carrier is set up these flaps lie flatly together at the converging ends of the panels to form a handle. Finger-engaging apertures l9 and 2| are provided in the handle flaps, and the material cut out from aperture 2| is retained as a locking tab 22 foldably connected along the upper edge of the aperture by a crease line 23.

This tab folds through the smaller aperture I9 and lies up along the opposite side of the handle when the carton is carried, as shown in Figure 1. Transverse creases 24 allow the tab to be readily pushed through the smaller aperture, and recesses 26 at the ends of aperture 1 9 provide interengaging means for the tab. By folding the tab through the other aperture in this way, the sharp upper edges of the aperture are covered and a smoothly folded edge provided at the point where the load is carried by the fingers.

A filler is also preferably provided in the carrier and comprises a U-shaped section having also foldably connected to the lower edges of the notched transverse partitions 21 crossed by a notched longitudinal partition 28. The connecting piece 29 of the U-shaped section lies against a side wall 2 of the carrier and serves to hold transverse partitions 21 against shifting. This two-piece filler is very simple and provides an efiective means for holding the bottles separated in the box-like bottom portion of the carrier. By having their bottom portions seated in the.cells of the filler and their neck portions projecting through panel apertures I6, the bottles Such a sling alone however is not rigid enough to End walls 3 in our carrier support the bottles. function as spreader plates to hold the side walls apart to prevent the latter from drawing together when the load is supported from the handle. Transverse partitions 21 of the filler also function as spreader plates between the side walls. Another advantage of the end walls is that they provide a box-like closure at the lower end of the sling to protect the bottles.

Still another advantage of our structure is that the bottom wall is heavily reinforced. The overlying flaps 8 and 9 provide a bottom of multiple thickness, and the bottom is supported from row projecting through the other panel.

both the side and end walls. End walls 3 of our improved carrier therefore function both as compression plates between the sides of the sling, and as truss members for supporting the bottom.

Another feature to be noted is that suspension panels l3 swing out of the way when bottles are inserted in the cellular body section of the carrier, and then readily swing inwardly over the necks of the bottles by reason of the elongated shape of the apertures. When the handle flaps I! are brought together they are so held by pulling locking tab 22 through aperture I9, thus locking the handle in carrying position and affording a comfortable hand grip.

In our preferred construction, as shown, the carrier is designed to hold the bottles in two rows, preferably three in a row. This positions a row on each side of the handle, with the bottle necks in one row projecting through one of the suspension panels and the bottles in the other We claim:

A bottle carrier comprising a' sling having a portion providing a bottom upon which the battles may rest and having upwardly projecting portions terminating in a handle, said upwardly extending portions of the sling including panels having a carrying position converging over the necks of the bottles and having apertures elongated sufliciently to pass over said bottle necks when the panels are moved inwardly to the carrying position, said apertures being wider at the top than at the bottom.

GEORGE F. FORD.

CECIL R. BARBEE. PRESTON H. SQUIRES. 

